Test kits

[qguy]

Been a fishkeeper for 3 decades and never used a test kit before, I do 20-30 percent water changes a week and been quite successful. Anyways, recently upgraded from a 100g to a 250g with a 100g subtank and 40 gallon sump. now, the fish are getting large and I never had anywhere near the volume of fish (and waste ) I had before, so to be on the safe side, a test kits might be useful. What would be the min parameter I should test ?

I am thinking that I should test for Nitrates as this is the last stage of the Nitrogen cycle and if my Nitrates are ok, everything should be ok? Is this correct ?

 

[ragin_cajun]

Yea, that's pretty much what I do unless fish start acting weird in any way.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Personally, I've kept a lot of fish in under stocked tanks while doing large regular WC and never tested. I was generally lucky. But in your case, it sounds like not testing at all might no longer be the best plan.

IMO I'd test for nitrates periodically until you have a feel for whether or not your levels are getting too high given your feeding habits and WC routine. I'd also keep a test kit handy for ammonia, nitrites and pH just in case some fish were acting strange or demonstrating unexpected injuries. It just makes sense to be able to rule out quickly any issues when you suspect poor water conditions.

It wouldn't hurt to test your source water either as sometimes you can be on alert to problems you are adding to the tank. (A water supplier report only goes so far since it's tested at the plant not at the spigot.)

Testing for anything else could make sense but would probably depend on your local water conditions and what species you are keeping.